Willis Johnson & Associates Inc. Takes $28,000 Position in Vertex Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:VTNR)

Willis Johnson & Associates Inc. purchased a new stake in Vertex Energy, Inc. (NASDAQ:VTNR) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 20,034 shares of the industrial products company’s stock, valued at approximately $28,000.

A number of other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in VTNR. Hennessy Advisors Inc. boosted its position in Vertex Energy by 44.0% during the 1st quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc. now owns 463,800 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $649,000 after buying an additional 141,700 shares during the period. Oracle Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Vertex Energy by 97.6% in the 4th quarter. Oracle Investment Management Inc. now owns 50,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $170,000 after purchasing an additional 24,700 shares during the period. RPO LLC acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $75,000. First Eagle Investment Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Vertex Energy by 27.8% in the 4th quarter. First Eagle Investment Management LLC now owns 867,801 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,942,000 after purchasing an additional 188,811 shares during the period. Finally, Versor Investments LP acquired a new position in shares of Vertex Energy in the 4th quarter worth approximately $161,000. 42.99% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Vertex Energy Trading Up 10.0 %

Shares of NASDAQ:VTNR opened at $0.67 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.02, a quick ratio of 0.43 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.33. Vertex Energy, Inc. has a twelve month low of $0.58 and a twelve month high of $6.82. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $1.09 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $1.53.

Vertex Energy (NASDAQ:VTNR) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, May 9th. The industrial products company reported ($0.11) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.17) by $0.06. The firm had revenue of $695.33 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $672.52 million. Vertex Energy had a negative net margin of 4.50% and a negative return on equity of 45.99%. During the same quarter last year, the business earned ($0.58) earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that Vertex Energy, Inc. will post -0.44 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

VTNR has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Stifel Nicolaus reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $4.00 price objective on shares of Vertex Energy in a research note on Monday, April 22nd. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Vertex Energy to a “sell” rating in a research note on Friday, May 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Vertex Energy has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $4.88.

About Vertex Energy

Vertex Energy, Inc, an energy transition company, that focuses on the production and distribution of conventional and alternative fuels. The company engages in refining and distributing petroleum products comprising the mobile refinery and related operations. It sells ferrous and non-ferrous recyclable metal products, and markets Group III base oils and other petroleum-based products, as well as provides transportation and marine salvage services.